CULTURE/SHIFT 2018

This session will demonstrate how SWOP and ArribaNM! bring together artists, organizers and designers to create immersive environments and mobile organizing tools for New Mexicans to inspire community imagination and dream about a better future for everyone. Modern civic engagement and organizing tools are mobile, networked, and use culture to engage and captivate communities based on people’s passions, identities, and love for pop culture. They can also support community development and local micro and small businesses. What could happen if we invested in these communities of passion, culture and creativity? We want to flip the script on how NM is portrayed and accent those positive and thriving resources that are within our own communities, not some import. When we control our own narratives without prejudice or invading our privacy, we are able to understand and create dialogue that truly addresses the community’s concerns and also identifies its power! Whether it’s community mapping, coding, or voter registration; we are exploring creative ways to imagine our space and our future, with each other.